“As a child, I used to cut out pictures of the White House Rose Garden from Life Magazine,” said Author, Linda Jane Holden.As an adult, she worked at the White House in the Regan administration where her respite was the Rose Garden.

During her tenure at the White House, White House head gardener, Irvin Williams, shared gardening tips and stories of the history of the White House gardens with Linda. He had worked with Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon to redesign the Rose Garden at the request of President, John F. Kennedy. “Mr. Williams told me that Mr. Kennedy wanted lots of color,” shared Linda.  Through their friendship, Williams helped bring the old cut out photos to life.

Linda’s recently published book, The Gardens of Bunny  Mellon,  is replete with brilliant photography, by Roger Foley along with reproductions of Mrs. Mellon’s watercolors of her gardens and landscape plans that Linda collected. “This is only one of two books written about ‘Bunny’ Mellon. I wanted to write a book that focused on Mrs. Mellon’s passion – gardening – and became convinced this was the right thing to do when I read in her journals that she wanted to write a book about gardening but hadn’t had the time. Because of my admiration for Mrs. Mellon I wanted to create a tribute to her achievements – a book about her gardening that would include the stories of the gardens accompanied by exquisite photography. I wanted to capture it while it was still capturable.”

“She wanted to climb the horticultural ladder; not the social ladder,” shared Linda. Mellon’s interest in gardens goes back to her early childhood. Her father had given her a plot of land to design a playhouse and its gardens. Reading Mellon’s entries in her journal, Linda says that Bunny’s father visited her in her garden every day. “She figured it out as she went. She was not afraid to be wrong.”

As she researched material for her first book, Presidential Gardens, Linda discovered that all of the gardening archives were stored at the Mellons’ Oak Spring Garden and Farm in Upperville, Virginia. While arranging access to the archives, the librarian told Linda that Mrs. Mellon wanted to meet with her.

Linda recalls her meeting, “I was having the meeting of my life. She was so great and so kind. She was wearing her blue Keds. She was so casual. We talked for hours. Time slipped away. She asked, . . .’I know you worked in the White House. Under which president?’ I worked for President Reagan, I told her.  ‘Ronnie was my second favorite president. Jack was my first!’ she exclaimed.” 

“I met Mrs. Mellon when she was 99 years old. She would live another four years. I spent much time at Oak Spring. It became a part of me,” recalled Linda. “As I researched, I wanted to know how she did what she did. I felt that I was touching history.” The development of the book became an organic product of Linda’s voracious readings, fondness for Mellon, and gratitude and deep friendship toward Williams. She said that she spent much time looking at the Rose Garden, “The zig zag of the shrubbery around the garden formed a ribbon around the flowers. Mrs. Mellon said, ‘We were creating a show. We had to be able to make it more beautiful than the day before.’”

“Mrs. Mellon is known for her statement, ‘nothing should be noticed,’ when in truth – she herself didn’t want to be noticed.  She never sought attention or credit for her work. She wanted to be a gardener. That’s how she saw the world. She wanted everything to be in harmony.” explained Linda,

From her early collection of White House garden photographs to her work at the White House, to her first book, all roads lead to Mrs. Mellon. Asked if she, herself is an avid gardener, “I used to garden, but I have pulled things in. This book has been my garden.”  Her favorite garden of Mrs. Mellon’s ? “The Rose Garden.”

The Gardens of Bunny Mellon presents the lovely gardens that Mrs. Mellon touched and created throughout the world. More than a coffee table book, this book presents a feast for the eyes and soothes the soul. A wonderful gift for the gardeners in our lives. Because books are always welcome.